Teaching the Humanities in a Fractious World

In this book the author directly confronts an ever more popular suspicion - that a university education in the humanities and social sciences is actually an 'elitist' indoctrination into 'leftist' or 'liberal' views. Having taught them for nearly forty years, Kitching shows that, on the contrary, these subjects lead one to question all political and social views (left-wing, right-wing, 'elite', 'popular', religious, secular) and to be sceptical of all the beliefs about human identity (whether racial, gender, national or class) to which they give rise." This book is divided into 35 brief sections and can be read as a stand-alone discussion of some topic, or as a step in a sequential argument. This modular structure makes it an excellent teaching text for students. Written in an accessible, even colloquial style, which gives it the broadest possible appeal. All its arguments are illustrated by a host of 'everyday' linguistic, sociological and psychological examples. These not only enliven the book but demonstrate that philosophical ideas are most persuasive when used to illuminate broader phenomena. Discussing a range of contemporary social and political issues, this book explores individualism and postmodernism; nationalism; globalisation and its relationship to growing economic inequality and political polarisation - which are currently the subject of fierce debate, inside and outside the university. It appeals to a mass of social science students and academics, as well as philosophers.